Neighbors witness car go into Rio Grande

A white Monte Carlo is halfway in the Rio Grande Sunday, April 2, 2017, before being towed out by the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department. The car had been reported stolen earlier that weekend.(Photo: Courtesy Libby Roberts)

LAS CRUCES — When a stolen car floated down the river past Libby Roberts, it was only the latest in a string of excitement that comes with living across from the Rio Grande.

Roberts lives near the Shalem Colony bridge and grew up in the area. Back then, it was quiet, with few people coming through. That's changed over the past several years, she said. Neighbors have seen an increase in loud parties, graffiti, bonfires and the burning of tires and trash.

“It’s ridiculous, the things you see now,” Roberts said.

One incident she and her husband, Doug, will never forget happened last year.

Her husband heard splashing and screaming coming from the river. He couldn't see anything at first, with trees blocking his view. As he came closer, he saw a young woman floating.

“My husband jumped in and saved her,” Roberts said. “If he hadn’t got to her before the current, where it’s deeper, she would have drowned.”

Sunday came the latest incident. It started earlier in the day when her husband noticed a white two-door Monte Carlo with its hood up, parked on a lower section of the river bank. It’s a section that is often used to drive onto the river bed when the Rio Grande is dry.

They noticed two men and a woman with the car.

Around 5 p.m., Roberts’ 15-year-old daughter Isabel came running into the house yelling that the car was going into the river.

They all ran outside. From their home they could see the car slowly floating down the river about 100 yards until it hit a sandbank and stopped. Roberts said she saw a man get out of the car, while it was in the water.

After a while, several people began to gather with cars, trucks and tow straps.

It’s not clear if the people knew the trio with the car or if they were just good Samaritans trying to help get the vehicle out of the water.

Several people attempted to pull it out, but after a couple of hours it became dark and the car was left on an embankment, halfway in the water.